Start learning California Dreamin from Mamas & Papas on either an acoustic or electric guitar for an easy folk song perfect for beginners as well as experienced guitarists! This track makes a great stepping-stone into guitar playing!
Engage in some lively strumming by using the basic chords Am, G, F and E7sus4. Don’t forget your capo on the fourth fret for added protection!
G
California Dreamin’ by The Mamas and Papas is an iconic folk rock song featuring exciting chords and an engaging strumming pattern. This song can help get players comfortable playing in A minor with a capo placed at fourth fret; additionally it includes an E7 sus (E seventh suspended fourth) chord to practice your voicings and hammer-ons.
The intro features four bars of melancholy guitar with six and twelve string instruments playing intertwining lines. After the first verse, it transitions into a 16-bar flute solo with simple down-up strumming motion; once you master that technique you can add accents or palm muting for personalization of this tune. Advanced players may experiment with more intricate strumming patterns to really give this song its unique sound.
F
California Dreamin’ by Mamas & the Papas expresses longing for sunny skies and green trees from New York City where its creators resided during 1963; its lyrics express longing for California as the protagonist wishes they could return there.
This song begins with an Am chord and progresses to F chord and E7sus4 (E seventh suspended fourth) chord – essential guitar chords you should learn first. There are plenty of resources online and in books that demonstrate these chords using diagrams and finger placement guides.
Once you’ve mastered these fundamentals, start practicing California Dreamin”s strumming pattern. Listening to the original song as often as possible will help establish feel and timing; don’t fret if your playing doesn’t seem up to par right away; becoming a great musician takes time; just keep practicing and have fun!
E7
An E chord is an invaluable addition to any guitarist’s repertoire, thanks to its distinct sound that lends itself well across many musical genres and adds harmonic tension in progressions including major chords such as A, D and G.
Forming E7 can be done a variety of ways. One simple method is playing an open E shape with your third finger on string two (see Example 3a ), creating an E-7 voicing you can use anywhere on the fretboard.
An E7 chord can also be created using your fourth finger on string one – another versatile voicing you can apply across any part of the fretboard. Commonly found in blues shuffles and offering endless potential applications – practice this chord until it feels natural before incorporating different techniques, like palm muting, into your arsenal to change up your sound!